Seattle City Council Voter Guide: District 5

There’s a major upheaval expected on Seattle City Council in 2019. Seven out of nine council seats are up for grabs, leaving the door wide open for some new faces. To get you familiar these faces — new and old — we’re breaking down candidates in each council race, including District 5, spanning Aurora, Greenwood, Lake City, Maple Leaf, Northgate, and Wedgwood.

Debora Juarez (44.9 percent of votes in August primary)

Seattle City Councilmember and District 5 candidate Debora Juarez. (Debora for D5)

The basics: Juarez has been a lawyer for 31 years. She’s worked as both a public defender and an attorney for the Native American Project. She served as a judge for two years in King County Superior Court, and then in the Governor’s Office of Indian Affairs for Governors Mike Lowry and Gary Locke. She is the incumbent District 5 council member, having served on the dais since 2016.

The issues: Juarez touts her vote to expand Seattle’s legal diversionary program, LEAD, as well as being the first and only Seattle City Council member to open a physical district office. In the past, she’s voted to expand the city’s police force, to raise the city’s minimum wage to $15 an hour, and to add the 130th Street light rail station to Sound Transit 3. She brought stakeholders to the table to help bring an NHL team to Seattle, and co-chaired the City Select Committee on Civic Arenas to usher in a deal for “a new world-class arena at no cost to the taxpayers.” She supports continued expansion of light rail in the north-end and safe injection sites.

Endorsements: Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, Seattle Councilmembers Sally Bagshaw, Teresa Mosqueda, Lorena Gonzalez, and Abel Pacheco, the Civil Alliance for a Sound Economy. Full list here. 

If elected, what will be your priorities for your first 100 days in office for the next council term?

1. Build affordable housing with a focus on transit-oriented development –including childcare—around light rail stops
2. Finish the brick-and-mortar capital projects I’ve brought D5 including the pedestrian bike bridge and the NHL training facility
3. Improve transportation by opening the light rail station at 130th seven years early

Juarez campaign website

Ann Davison Sattler (26.8 percent of votes in August primary)

Seattle City Council candidate Ann Davison Sattler. (Ann Davison Sattler for Seattle City Council)

The basics: Sattler previously worked as a caseworker in the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C., providing aid to constituents regarding military service, medicare, and social security. She later became an attorney, establishing her own private law practice.

The issues: Sattler advocates for a “rapid response to unsheltered people,” in the form of FEMA-style support tents with round-the-clock mental health services. She also proposes the creation of sanitation jobs “for those experiencing economic disparity,” mobile vans that transport people to same-day drug treatment, using Medicaid to fund recovery housing. She wants to move council meetings to 7 p.m. (currently they begin at 2 p.m.), to allow Seattle residents to attend outside of work hours. She supports a larger police force and opposes congestion tolling, rent control, and safe injection sites.

Endorsements: The Seattle Times, former Seattle Sonics player and General Manager Wally Walker, Kenmore Mayor David Baker, University of Washington Dr. Richard Ries

If elected, what will be your priorities for your first 100 days in office for the next council term?

1. Audit — for transparency and accountability
2. Accessibility — increase access for D5 residents and businesses immediately
3. Homeless emergency humanitarian shelter locations
4. New sidewalks in D5
5. North precinct police station split.
6. Continue building north end regional relationships to better approach our large problems together.

Davison Sattler campaign website

Past MyNorthwest Seattle City Council Voter Guides:

District 1: Lisa Herbold and Phil Tavel
District 2: Tammy Morales and Mark Solomon
District 3: Kshama Sawant and Egan Orion
District 4: Alex Pedersen and Shaun Scott
District 6: Dan Strauss and Heidi Wills
District 7: Andrew Lewis and Jim Pugel

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